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Fethiye: 30th March, 2014

On humour, as a valuable resource.....

My tooth and I are on our way to Fethiye! (Dolmus to Aydin 7TL; Coach to Fethiye 38TL.)

I can feel myself relaxing more and more into my adventure, and I'm recognising the value of humour as a personal resource. I am collecting funny moments that buoy me....

One locked-in memory is from the Gallipoli trip. On the journey down to the Peninsula, when we stopped for breakfast, I asked Noah, a young American lawyer - the only non-Aussie-or-Kiwi in our small group - about his interest in visiting Gallipoli. "Gallipoli?" he said, "I thought we were going to Troy!" We all laughed, and Noah most heartily, and then he said, "So, what do I need to know about Gallipoli to get the most out of my day?" Ha! I will recall that one when I find myself somewhere unexpected.

I have some funny Turkish moments too. I really enjoy the Turkish sense of humour - it's very familiar and playful. Yesterday, when my Kurdish tour guide, Nizam, had helped me to arrange my dental treatment, I said to him, "Your dentist seems like a very nice man", to which he replied, "Yes, a very true gentleman. It's a shame he is such a bad dentist!" Ha!

The dentist, too, said to me later, as I sat in the chair and he put on his gloves, "So, how are you feeling?" "A little nervous." (The offending tooth was a second from centre, top tooth, and I was hoping I wouldn't emerge with a huge gold filling - or worse, amalgam!) "Don't worry," he said, " I watch this procedure two times before - last year!" I love how laughter dissipates stress, and all things negative - even second-hand, recalled humour, so I lock in this moment too.

I have no plan once I arrive in Fethiye. I should be there about 4pm and, when the weather is as beautiful as it is today, nothing seems urgent. I guess I will go to a cafe and book one of the hostels where I can get a private room for two nights. (Hostelbookers.com is an excellent website.) Meanwhile, the bus journey is very pleasant.

Oh, oh, oh - look where I am!

View from Ideal Pension

Fethiye is so beautiful! I arrived in town at the Otogar and caught a Dolmus into the central/harbour area. Found a cafe with Wifi by the waterside and had a coffee and booked myself into a double room with bathroom at the Ideal Pension - for 40TL/night. Soooo happy here! A few pics and I'm off to explore.....

"Home"!

The walk to my accommodation...

Where the dolmus dropped me - kids roller skating here

 

 

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